KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a Shawnee Mission East student was the target of a racial slur and was assaulted by another student on Nov. 15, district superintendent Dr. Michelle Hubbard addressed the community, stating: "We must do better, as individuals, as a district, and as a nation."
Students who witnessed the fight say sophomore Brey'anna Brown, a Black Shawnee Mission East student, confronted another student about using racial slurs. A separate 15-year-old white male student was captured on video cursing at Brey'anna and yelling racial slurs at her. The two students then fought one another and Brey'anna's nose was broken in the confrontation.
Hubbard described the video of the fight as "incredibly painful" in a letter to the Shawnee Mission community.
"The racist language that can be heard on that video is awful, completely unacceptable, and something we will never tolerate here in the Shawnee Mission School District," Hubbard said in the letter.
The 15-year-old male was charged on Wednesday with unlawfully, feloniously and knowingly cause great bodily harm to another person or disfigurement of another person, a level 4 person felony.
Hubbard said she was unable to share disciplinary actions taken against the student, but the district followed procedures outlined in the student handbook.
"We will continue to send the clear message that racism has no place in our schools," she stated.
Hubbard pointed to hiring a diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator, staffing equity practitioners at each district building and providing youth leadership development opportunities as some of the actions the district has taken to "move this work forward."
Brey'anna was suspended following the fight. On Thursday, she was side-by-side with the hundreds of students who attended walk-outs and rallies on Thursday to call for accountability.
"Our students have been vocal this week in reminding us that we are not done," Hubbard said. "They have spoken loudly, and we are listening, both at Shawnee Mission East and across the district. What I saw on that video is NOT who we are, and we must do better. And we will."
